Fulham interested in Chelsea star who is keen on leaving Stamford Bridge - Reports
Chelsea attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi is the subject of interest from Fulham this summer, according to Nizaard Kinsella of The Evening Standard.
Hudson-Odoi, 22, has been on the Blues' books since 2007. He rose through the ranks at the club before making his senior debut in their 3-0 FA Cup win at home against Newcastle United in January 2018. The winger has played 126 games across competitions for the London giants, bagging 16 goals and 22 assists.
The England international has also helped Chelsea win five trophies, including the UEFA Champions League. However, he has struggled to nail down a spot in the team's regular starting XI. With the attacker now in the final year of his contract, the Premier League giants have a decision to make.
Simon Johnson of The Athletic recently reported that Hudson-Odoi has decided to leave the club this summer. The Blues, for their part, are willing to listen to offers for the Englishman, who spent last term on loan at Bayer Leverkusen. He scored just one goal and provided one assist in 21 games across competitions for the Bundesliga outfit.
Fulham, meanwhile, have emerged as an option for Hudson-Odoi. According to the aforementioned source, the Cottagers have set their sights on signing the attacker. Encouraging talks are said to have taken place between the two clubs over a deal.
As per the report, Hudson-Odoi, who has also been linked with AC Milan and Napoli, is one of four players Mauricio Pochettino's side are hopeful of offloading this weekend. Romelu Lukaku, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hakim Ziyech are other candidates to leave Stamford Bridge before Monday.
When Chelsea rejected £70m bid for Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi's market value may have plummeted over the last couple of seasons. However, it wasn't long ago that he was considered one of the hottest prospects in English football. In fact, the attacker was the subject of multiple bids from Bayern Munich between 2019 and 2020.
Bayern first entered the fray to sign Hudson-Odoi in January 2019. They approached Chelsea with a £30 million offer with the hopes of striking a deal but were faced with rejection. A bid worth £22.5 million, which was by then the Bavarians' fourth attempt, also met the same fate the following summer.
The Bundesliga heavyweights returned to the negotiating table the following summer. They offered to take Hudson-Odoi on loan for the 2020-21 season with an option to make the move permanent for a whopping £70 million. Like all the bids before, Chelsea turned down this proposal as well.